Nash Bashes Field in Hi-Lo!
Tonight’s 7-card stud hi-lo event was pretty much a one-man show for a 25-year accountant/poker player named Nash Riszk. He grabbed an enormous chip lead when he made a wheel against two players on the third hand at the final table, and ultimately vanquished five of his seven opponents. Heads-up with graphic designer Chang Kim, he held a 3-2 chip advantage. Kim pulled about even after a few hands of play and then the two chopped the prize money and played a showdown hand for the trophy, which Riszk won.
Two players got knocked out simultaneously at the last two tables to set the stage for the finale. At one table, Robert Gray started with low cards and ended up with just 4-4 as general contractor Craig Schusterick blew him away with jacks-full. At the other, Rizk with a 7-low and Eric Arreca with two aces chopped up Albert Luna, who couldn’t help his split 10s. Gray and Luna each collected $420.
At the final table, antes were $500 with a $1,000 bring-in, playing for 3-6k. Hand 3 was the pot of the night. Rocky Loving had a door-card 3 and brought it in for $3,000 with two babies in the hole. Schusterick called with split jacks, and Rizk had no trouble calling with A-5/4. On fourth street, Nash caught a 3 and bet. Both Rocky, with another low card, and Craig called. A turn-card deuce gave Nash a wheel. He bet and Rocky, with a six made, called, as did Craig. On sixth street, Craig made a second pair and bet his last $500. Nash raised all in and Rocky called. Nash scooped and now had about $70,000 while Craig cashed out eighth for $520 and Rocky, who started with a big chip lead of $36,000, now was down to about 8k.
Richard Mendoza, starting lowest-chipped with $8,500, lasted six hands. He started with three low cards but ended up with just two 7s as Rocky edged him with two 8s. Richard got $520 for seventh.
Limits rose two hands later to 4-8k with $500 antes and a $1,500 bring-in.
Truck driver Michael Convey hit a roadblock on hand 13. He made 9s and 5s on sixth street but got pulled over by Kim, who made aces-up. Sixth place paid $920. Nash reluctantly claimed his second victim on the next hand. When Rocky bet all in with his last chip on fifth street with two bullets showing, Nash sighed and called with Q-K/4-6-6. But then he caught a second cowboy while Rocky died with aces.
On the next hand, Nash knocked out yet another player, this time with just two sixes. Semi-pro Eric Arreca, who has hold’em wins at San Pablo, Hollywood Park and the Bike, had 10-J-Q-K on sixth street, needing any pair, a 9 or an ace to win, but missed. It was that way for him all night, he said, missing one draw after another. He was consoled with $1,320 for fourth.
Jack Howard, on the other hand, wasn’t complaining about missed draws. The retired computer consultant complained about getting nothing at all to play at the final table. Finally, he was dealt 3-5/7 and was so overjoyed he raised and went all in. At the end he missed both a low and a gut-shot straight draw, and mucked his hand when Nash showed aces. Third place paid $2,025
The chip count now was $115,000 for Nash, $72,000 for Kim. After a few hands, Kim drew almost even, and they agreed to a chop, playing one showdown hand for the trophy. The first hand was a split, and tournament director Denny Williams ruled they should play high only. Nash won it with aces, and became the official winner. –Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Poker is gradually edging out accounting in the life of Nash Rizk. He’s mostly a side-game player, playing every day. His games are pot-limit hold’em and $20-$40 stud hi-lo. He’s been playing medium-limit tournaments for two years, and has three pot-limit cash-outs at Commerce to his credit. He’s now looking higher, and hopes to tackle the World Series this year.
Nash describes himself as an aggressive player. “In pot-limit I’m very aggressive, especially when I have a hand.” Tonight, he said, he built his chips up to about $4,000 by the third level, but then hit a wall until level 8.
“I just had to hold on and get by with stealing blinds.” He agreed to a chop with Kim, he said, because “I play with this guy every day. I know what he has and he knows what I have. If we kept playing, we’d be here until 7 a.m.”
CHIP POSITION FINAL TABLE
Nash Rizk
$23,000
Mike Convey
$18,500
Chang Kim
$28,500
Richard Mendoza
$8,500
Eric Arreca
$10,500
Rocky Loving
$36,000
Jack Howard
$29,000
Craig Schusterick
$22,500
ALL-AROUND PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. Suriyan Bhinestien 61
2. Robert Bakovic 61
3. Joe Boghossian 61
4. Barry Bergida 61
5. Nash Rizk 59
6.Kathy Liebert 59
7. Russ Rosen 53
8. “Unknwon” 53
9. Joseph Isagulyan 53
10.B. J. Behboudi 53
11.Robert Landaw 51
12.Chang Kim 51
13.Daniel Dahan 48
14.Tae Womack 47
15.Shig Nakayama 47
16.Rolando Florendo 47
17.Alan Wood 47
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